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Kuvo: Discrete Dining on Orchard

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Fine wine, bespoke cocktails, or fine dining, Kuvo brings a multi-food and beverage concept to life.

Plush luxury of the Vine Lounge at Kuvo
Plush luxury of the Vine Lounge at Kuvo

Tucked away on the second floor of Orchard Shopping Centre is Kuvo. It is the latest dining and wining concept by Sarika Connoisseurs Café, the same company that operates The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) in Singapore.

Unlike TCC, Kuvo is a step up from the mass market coffee culture and caters to a more discerning and sophisticated crowd. The entrance is discreet and at the same time grand. A Private escalator, cladded in gold and dark timbres, ushers patrons to the second floor where four distinct concepts await.

Multi-spacial experience

Bespoke cocktails by Head Mixologist Yutaka-san at Elixir Bar
Bespoke cocktails by Head Mixologist Yutaka-san at Elixir Bar

The name Kuvo is derived from “cuvee”, French for “blend”. And blend is exactly what this multi-concept space does. The 9000 sqft of space houses 4 areas: their gift shop, Elixir Bar, Vine Lounge, and Ambrosia. There are slight changes in design from one area to the next, but overall the ambience is modern, elegant, and sophisticated.

The pushily decorated Vine Lounge with large club chairs offers over 140 labels of fine wines to choose from. If wine is your preference, let Chief Sommelier, Gabriele Rizzardi, give you some highlights in his selection. (Wine starts at $14.50 per glass)

For those who prefer cocktails instead, let the head mixologist of Elixir Bar, Yutaka Nakashima, create bespoke cocktails. (Cocktails start at $21 per glass)

Ambrosia serves….well…Ambrosia

The lion’s share of the space belongs to Ambrosia. With its a-la-carte dining and afternoon tea buffet, Ambrosia serves a combination of international and local fares. The menu highlights include Atlantic Cod prepared a-la-Meuniere (meaning to pre-flour before sautéing) with sweet pea crust, half-pound chargrilled Wagyu burger, and Slipper Lobster Laksa Lemak.

Of the three, I had the chance to try the Atlantic cod medallion and Wagyu burger. The cod’s presentation was exceptionally beautiful with its creamy white flesh coated with green sweet peas. It was wonderfully firm, moist, and flaky to the touch.

For the Wagyu burger, I had it topped with Portabello and cheese. Everything was delightfully balanced and the beef was so tasty I didn’t even need ketchup. Both dishes cost in the high $30’s, so I wouldn’t expect anything but the best in taste. Fortunately, it delivers.

Atlantic Cod crusted with Sweat Peas
Atlantic Cod crusted with Sweat Peas
Slipper Lobster Laksa Lemak
Slipper Lobster Laksa Lemak. Local food richly adorned.
Iberico Pork Belly
Iberico Pork Belly. Exotic yet familiar!
Portabello and Wagyu burger
Portabello and Wagyu burger. Tasty and succulent.
Chocolate puff pasty with banana and ice cream
Chocolate puff pasty with banana and ice cream

Afternoon Delight

Three Tier Tea Time Treat
Three Tier Tea Time Treat

On another visit to Kuvo with my in-laws, we tried Kuvo’s Afternoon Tea Buffet. For $35 per person, there was a buffet spread of local favourites, including Ayam Buak Keluak, fine cheeses, Prosciutto ham, scones, pastries, and finally, desserts.

The highlight of their meal, included in the price, was Kuvo’s three-tier tray of goodies with nine specially prepared items from the kitchen. The tidbits included finger sandwiches, mozzarella with tomato on toast, fried scallops and yam, and my favourite: Otah chawan mushi cooked sous vide in bail jars (glass jars with thick rubber seals and wire locking mechanism).

My in-laws were impressed with the food and thought the afternoon tea session was “great value for money”. In fact, one of them thought Kuvo is a good place to entertain friends for birthdays or special occasions.

Indeed. I have returned to Kuvo a few dining occasions already!

 

By Frank Young

Kuvo 02-01, 321 Orchard Road, Orchard Shopping Centre

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